I do, but I don’t. “The Worst Person in the World” (“Verdens verste menneske”, 2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Joachim Trier
© 2021 SF Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The day has come, Oscars 2022 take place tonight and… I couldn’t be more indifferent about it. I swear, I don’t feel the vibe this year and I’m more excited about sleeping well than finding out who gets the awards. I have some films that I wish to be appreciated, but I haven’t even seen half of the nominated productions and I don’t have any strong opinion on some of the categories. However, before the big night takes place, I’d like to recommend one of the nominees, which surprisingly didn’t disappoint me. As much as lots of nominations are difficult for me to understand, this one should be seen and promoted. It’s a Norwegian drama/comedy about something that has been a big taboo topic. And I feel like despite our progress as humanity, we still stick to the stereotypes from the old times. This film is about Julie (Renate Reinsve), a young adult woman from Oslo, who’s just being herself. At some point she realises how pointless her studies are, decides to date a much older professor and improve her photography skills. Because why not? And this is what the story is about – a typical young woman who’s still discovering the world and herself. We have this social scenario for women over 30 that they should know what they want, have a decent partner, preferably some children, a good and stable job, be wonderful housewives and yadda yadda yadda. And in the meantime, hundreds, thousands… millions of women don’t follow this scenario. Not because they don’t want to. Sometimes, they just need more time, they need new experiences, they need to stop and start over again. Not saying that men have it easier, but somehow women seem to be judged more for their disobedience towards the scenario. I’m thankful for this production, because it reminds us that quitting a job or studies is absolutely okay, that changing a partner is fine, that learning new skills at any age is awesome. Having random hookups doesn’t make us of less value and there’s no such thing as a perfect human – we’re all imperfect and that’s the beauty of this world. Let’s just follow our own paths, listen to our own self and stop doing things the way others want us to do them. This film is socially very important, in my opinion, both for women and men, so I hope whoever is reading my post will decide to see it. Perhaps I wouldn’t say it’s an Oscar winner, but definitely a production worth your time. Especially in the crazy times we’re living now. Enjoy the ceremony tonight. Or sleeping. Just enjoy your Sunday evening, my dear. Whoever you are, wherever you are, stay well.

My rating: 7/10
S.

Sometimes it pays to be a nerd. “The Adam Project” (2022)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Shawn Levy
© 2022 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

I was recently travelling a bit and was looking for something not much demanding to watch on the way. Never heard of “The Adam Project” and just downloaded it from Netflix without even checking out the plot. Action and adventure, Ryan Reynolds, can watch it offline – I’m taking. Normally I prefer to “stalk” the film before pressing play, if you know what I mean. I always check the plot, ratings, comments (preferably without spoilers), cast, director, producer etc. And then I make a decision whether I should see it or not. Perhaps I should change my routine and be more spontaneous because I had a lot of fun discovering today’s film while watching. For those who still haven’t heard of it, it’s about Adam (Ryan Reynolds), a fighter pilot from 2050 who travels in time and ends up in 2022, where he meets himself. Just much much younger. Little Adam (Walker Scobell) is currently 12 years old and it’s difficult to keep big Adam’s identity a secret. When both know that they are actually the same person, little Adam joins the big one in his mission. And the mission is to move back to 2018 and save Adam’s wife. To be honest, the film was giving me the vibes of “Guardians of the Galaxy”, just a bit more dramatic and with less enjoyable music. But that’s just my personal opinion. In general, it’s a rather pleasant sci-fi production, perfect for a relaxing evening, or, like in my case, long journey on the train. I have to say that at first I was a bit confused as the little Adam didn’t really resemble the big one, but right before writing today’s post I saw Ryan’s childhood photos and I think they nailed it. But that’s just a small point, most of you won’t even notice. Other than that, I seriously had a good time with this film. Perhaps it’s nothing spectacular and sometimes it’s even cringy, but we all need such cinema from time to time, right? Oh and Mark Ruffalo as Ryan’s father… that’s something you won’t see often.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Destroying a whole ecosystem for the sake of a few pounds of protein. “Seaspiracy” (2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Ali Tabrizi
© 2021 Netflix. All Rights Reserved.

If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you might know that I’m vegan and I’m more than happy to share pro-vegan productions. One of them is “Seaspiracy”, which was extremely popular last year and yet I managed to see it few days ago. You know, if you believe in something and you’ve already learned about it, there’s no much desire to keep watching obvious documentaries. Still, a lot of vegans and people interested in ecology have recommended me to see this film anyway, so here I am, glad to have seen it and proud to be recommending it. Thanks to this documentary you may find out more about the sea world and how destructive humans are. Nothing new, right? We are very good at destroying everything around us, why not destroying one more ecosystem? Personally, I know quite many people who still believe that eating fish is incredibly healthy and important for our bodies. While in this documentary you may find out that it’s far from the truth. In fact, by eating fish we intoxicate ourselves even more, which causes not only killing animals, but also harming our own organism. If you believe that by eating fish you’re only eating fish, again surprise – if we take one kind of animals from the water, another one has nothing to eat. Meaning – they die of hunger. Also, what I personally loved the most in this documentary, we care so much about all those eco-friendly trends such as not using straws and posting photos of ourselves drinking with a reusable straw, but we actually totally ignore any other action that we do in our lives. We would stop using straws to save fish, but we won’t stop eating fish to save fish. How ridiculous is that? Because we need eating fish? No. Is it that healthy we can’t live without it? No. Are we spoilt, egoistic and ignorant so we will keep destroying the marine ecosystem for our pure pleasure? Bingo! If you’re not vegan or at least vegetarian, please watch this film and find out how dangerous your diet is for yourself, your family, your beloved ones, and also for everyone else as we all live on the same planet. And if you’re vegan, enjoy the constant face palm while watching, especially when Ali Tabrizi meets with several environmental organisations which honestly admit that they ignore the real problem we’re facing. If they admit that, what can ordinary people say? Yes, I don’t use straws, but I also don’t eat animals and I hope that after this documentary you will reorganise your fridge.

My rating: 8/10
S.

About a person who is driving a car. “Drive My Car” (“Doraibu mai kā”, 2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
© 2021 Bitters End. All Rights Reserved.

This year is a big mystery for me. I mean, the last few years have been one big mystery, to be honest, but when it comes to Oscars, this year is incredibly strange. I absolutely support a lot of this year’s nominees, but there are also those which leave me speechless. Not in the positive way. Many people have been praising “Drive My Car”, a Japanese drama nominated as the best international film and… not only. There’s also a nomination for the best director, best adapted screenplay and, oh holy spirits, best picture – so shortly speaking, the main Oscar. After seeing so many nominations, it’s obvious that there must be something exceptional about this film. I’ve seen it and if you think we have a similar taste, then you’re welcome – I’ve just saved 3 hours of your precious time. 3 hours that I personally wasted on a production that, in my opinion, shouldn’t be nominated to anything this year. I’m really trying not to be rude here, but I feel like it’s the same political move as it was with “Parasite”, but the thing is that “Parasite” was actually a decent film. Not the best, but decent. “Drive My Car”, for me, is a 3-hour-long emotionless podcast which doesn’t engage the viewer at all and after the first hour you just wish for it to be over. Seems like I’m not the only person who disliked this adaptation and some critics are actually pointing out that the book by Murakami (based on which they made the film) is on a different level. Personally, I haven’t read the book, but I’m an ordinary person who just wanted to see an interesting film. And I almost fell asleep. Several times. Okay, I admit, I’m not the biggest fan of Japanese cinema, but I can appreciate their good productions. This one is a mystery to me. Obviously, we may have different opinions and perhaps some of you are huge fans of such stories and such forms, so I always encourage you to try yourselves. But if you want to follow my advice, it’s really not worth those 3 hours. And if you’re curious about the plot… well… it’s about a man who’s driving his car. And then there’s a woman driving the car. So basically, it’s about someone driving a car and talking way too much. Forgive my honesty, but that’s how I see it. I appreciate it just for the way it’s made because I admire this Japanese meticulousness in filmmaking. Other than that, I pass.

My rating: 3/10
S.

Agarics are my favourite mushrooms because they’re simple and plain. “Fear” (“Strah”, 2020)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Ivaylo Hristov
© 2020 Profilm. All Rights Reserved.

What would you say for a Bulgarian production about the irrational world we’re living in? I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic. We get to know Svetla (Svetlana Yancheva), a simple woman living in a village close to the Bulagarian-Turkish border. She has recently lost her husband and her job. One day, she bumps into a stranger in the forest. He turns out to be Bamba (Michael Flemming), a refugee from Africa. Svetla doesn’t speak English and isn’t very friendly towards Bamba, but the more time they spend together, the more similarities between each other they notice. However, this bonding isn’t happening in the most peaceful circumstances as people in the village are rather prejudiced and see Bamba as some kind of threat. At some point Svetla has to decide whether she keeps getting to know Bamba or she will kick him out of her house as everybody around them would do. For the first hour, I was rather curious about the story and, to be honest, it didn’t give me any chills or excitement. But after the idea for the film finally sank into my brain, I realised that I really really really enjoy it. You may feel lost at first, but in the end I’m sure that a lot of you will appreciate what they did there. Basically, it’s a film about fear. The fear that we feel towards everything we don’t know. And because of that fear, we tend to create strange scenarios in our heads, which later turn into non-existing realities in which we’re stuck as people. Shortly speaking, here we have a story of villagers who are scared of a black-skinned refugee speaking another language. And since meeting such person is a new experience for them all, they behave the only way they can. If someone tells them that such person is dangerous, they will automatically be cautious. Lack of linguistic competences leads to frustration and many misunderstandings, but we often don’t even care to think about it. It’s just easier to accept the most popular scenario, even if it’s absolutely made up. I’m really thrilled that I found this film and even more about sharing it with you now. What’s more, and it’s unusual in my case, I appreciate that it’s in black and white, but it’s because it makes sense – you just need to watch till the end to understand. I honestly finished this film saying “I loved it!” and I hope you’ll be equally excited. And way more open-minded towards the unknown.

My rating: 7/10
S.

There are certain things you don’t share. “After Love” (2020)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Aleem Khan
© 2020 BBC Film. All Rights Reserved.

What would you do if the person who you trusted entirely lied to you? Or not even actually admitted lying to you. Mary (Joanna Scanlan) has recently become a widow as her husband Ahmed died all of a sudden. The woman was madly in love with her partner but soon she discovers that her husband had a lover named Genevieve (Nathalie Richard). After checking the messages on his phone, Mary decides to meet this other woman. Accidentally, Genevieve takes Mary for a cleaning lady whom she hires to help at home. At the same time, Mary finds out that Ahmed and Genevieve have a son named Solomon (Talid Ariss). The widow decides not to reveal who she is and get to know Ahmed’s secret family, which is both strange and heart-breaking for her. It’s not a must-see film, but I think it gives you a lot of food for thought and would be a perfect choice for your next film club meeting. Maybe the story seems simple (although unusual), but I’ve reflected a lot. Firstly, it shows how complicated and unpredictable love can be. It’s not always two people madly in love for the rest of their lives. It’s not Disney. We often have to go through different kinds of dramas, deal with our and our partner’s flaws and sometimes annoying habits, adapt to new and unexpected situations in life etc. And I’m glad that nowadays films show a lot of this realistic love. Secondly, even though Ahmed was lying to both women and they are from two different worlds, they ended up in the same situation and their reaction to each other is also very interesting. It reminds us not to judge the other person that easily. And the last thought I had was that it shows what patriarchy is all about. Even if the man messes up, the responsibility is taken by women. And that’s the saddest truth about it. So as you can see, even such simple drama may leave you on reflection mode for some time. As I said, it’s not a must-see, but have yourself a bit of this food for thought.

My rating: 6/10
S.

Don’t be afraid of your senses. “Ghosting Gloria” (“Muerto con Gloria”, 2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Marcela Matta & Mauro Sarser
© 2021 Ecologito. All Rights Reserved.

I guess we all need a little emotional break from dramas and difficult topics, so here I am to save you. Today I’m recommending you a production from Uruguay, which shocked me indeed. If you’re a fan of “Ghost” (1990), the one thanks to which people got interested in pottery, then I bet you’ll see “Ghosting Gloria” as some kind of modern remake with South American vibes and way funnier lines. As you might be guessing, we get to know Gloria (Stefania Tortorella), a 30-year-old single woman who works at a bookstore. She hasn’t been lucky in finding a partner and her friend starts suggesting that lack of sexual experiences may be the cause of all Gloria’s everyday problems. One night, however, she finally has a very intimate meeting, which ends up with Gloria’s first ever orgasm. Sounds great? Yeah, but there’s one little issue… the lover is actually a ghost stuck in her flat. And now the woman has to decide whether she keeps looking for a living man to have a “normal” relationship with, or she explores a bit different areas of her sexual life. You know, paranormal activity at its best. Except the fact that it’s ridiculous and rather relaxing, I loved all the little jokes, especially the questions from the customers in the bookstore. Real life, real circus. Besides, it’s a story about a woman in her 30s who’s still not sure what she wants from life and even though we have a ghost giving amazing orgasms, I bet a lot of people might connect to Gloria. If you’re in your 20s, 30s or even 40s and you know what you’re doing, like generally what you’re doing, then you’re one lucky person, trust me. It’s one of those productions that you have to watch with a lot of distance to yourself and what’s around you. Personally, I enjoy such goofy ideas, as long as they are well-made. And in my opinion, this one is. So enjoy the Uruguayan “Ghost” remake. May only such paranormal activities occur in your homes.

My rating: 6/10
S.

We all depend on the system. “Palmer” (2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Fisher Stevens
© 2021 Apple TV+. All Rights Reserved.

That’s the kind of drama I personally love. I mean, I generally enjoy drama, even in life, and especially when it doesn’t consider me so I can be just an observer with popcorn. However, “Palmer” is one of those productions that are simple, yet they hit hard with their messages. We get to know Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake), who’s just got out of prison. As he has no life options, he starts living with his grandma Vivian (June Squibb) and tries to get back on track with everything. Unfortunately, it’s horribly difficult for him to regain his social status or find a job as nobody wants an employee with such background. In the meantime, Eddie gets to know Sam (Ryder Allen), a boy that keeps coming to Vivian and spends a lot of time in their house. Vivian kind of treats him like her own grandson, especially since the boy doesn’t receive much attention or love from his parents. His mother Shelly (Juno Temple) is a drug addict and often disappears leaving Sam alone. One day Vivian passes away and Eddie decides to keep supporting Sam as he’s not only struggling with his own family, but also with his sexuality. The child doesn’t really follow social “norms” and prefers more feminine objects, toys and clothes, which leads to problems at school and with his friends. Personally, I’m getting a lot of thoughts from this production. First of all, only people who are left alone and without support will understand others like them. And, paradoxically, they are the ones who will help each other the most. Second, we’re living in a big system that doesn’t care about individuals, it cares about not caring, to be honest. We judge people with black or white, yes or no questions, while all they need is a bit of attention and personal approach. Third, sometimes, no matter how badly we want to change the world, we just have to let it be. Let it be and take care of ourselves. Because, unfortunately, karma doesn’t always work, or not immediately. If we dedicate ourselves to another person, perhaps nobody will dedicate themselves to us at the same time. It’s important to take actions, indeed, but sometimes the best option is to wait for a better moment in life. And that’s why I like films like “Palmer”, because you may think it’s a simple production, but it seriously crashes you from the inside. And may I just say that I’m glad to see more Juno Temple? Of course I may and I’m saying it. She’s a very good actress and I hope she’ll keep appearing in next films.

My rating: 7/10
S.

There’s nothing wrong with being alone. “Together Together” (2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Nikole Beckwith
© 2021 Bleecker Street. All Rights Reserved.

I didn’t expect much from this film, kind of played it as some background. Yes, I do that as well, especially if it’s a comedy with a rather average rating. Turned out it’s one of those productions that remind me to stop checking general ratings and just watch whatever I want to watch. Because I would have skipped it if I didn’t have a boring evening, I swear. And I hope that you’ll feel encouraged to watch it after reading my post. It’s a story of Matt (Ed Helms), who’s a middle-aged single man wishing to start his family. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been lucky in finding a good partner, therefore he wants to become a single dad. The man finds Anna (Patti Harrison), a young woman willing to be his surrogate. Despite totally different characters, those two have a lot in common. At first they might not be seeing it, but the more time they spend together, the clearer it becomes. Generally, it’s a rather light drama with a lot of funny lines, but to me it’s a film that stands out. Why? It shows that happy ever after doesn’t really exists outside fairytales. If we keep waiting for perfection to appear in our life, we may wake up in our 70s and realise that our time’s up. Instead, maybe it’s better to take reality as it is and try to make the best out of it. We may not have our dreamt significant other, but we may have a bunch of incredibly supportive friends. We may not be able to start a family, but we may always adopt a dog and have a wonderful companion in life. We may not have enough money to buy a huge house by the sea, but we may have a pleasant job that gives us satisfaction. And even though in the end this film gives very little hope (at least in my opinion) for this perfect life we all want, it’s somehow comforting. I guess we should be constantly reminded, especially living in this online world full of artificiality, that we’re all lonely, struggling with acceptance, searching for love, friendship, happiness and stuff. And the more we talk about it, the faster our “imperfect” life becomes natural and ordinary. Personally, I relaxed a lot watching “Together Together” and the ending left me with many thoughts, so it probably means it’s a film worth seeing.

My rating: 7/10
S.

This is the women’s world. “Text Me When You Get Home” (2021)

SashLeave a comment
directed by Louise Hylland
© 2021 KAKAPO. Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re not sure what to do with 6 minutes of your time, then I may have an idea. Have a sit, put your phone away and focus on this short film I’m recommending you today. It’s a Danish production about four friends getting back home from a night out. Before I continue my sharing, let’s do a small test, shall we? I said “four friends”. Now imagine those friends are four grown-up men. Think about their night out, the moment when they split, how they return to their flats/houses, what happens on the way. Just take a moment and imagine. Or maybe you are a man and there’s nothing to imagine because you know exactly how it looked like last weekend? Okay then. Now, imagine that all those four friends are women. How does the story change? If you think there’s no difference, you’re probably a man. And I’m not saying this to offend you, dear male reader. Perhaps you just have no idea how it looks like from a woman’s perspective. This short film may make it a bit clearer. I don’t want to explain what’s happening in it because that would be ridiculous since it’ll take you less time to watch it than to read my description. However, I’m writing about it because I believe it’s an important topic to mention. And mention. And keep mentioning. I found the film simple, yet perfectly on point. I was thinking of what I saw and realised that when I say goodbye to my male friends after an evening/night meeting, I just say “see you later”, but when the friend is a woman, I always say “see you soon, remember to text me when you get home”. I bet no more words are needed. Just take those 6 minutes, watch the film and let’s hope it’ll stay with you. Here’s the link to the film on YouTube.

My rating: 7/10
S.